back from the cruise

Well we are back from our cruise, we departed from Fremantle port late afternoon onboard the P&O Pacific Jewel for a cruise up the West Australian  Coast and up to Indonesia and return.

We were soon into the shipboard life exploring the ship and getting ready for dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant, this would be the start of fine food in no short supply, following dinner there were many things to do ,There was entertainment at a variety of venues, my wife went off to see a floor show and i decided to go to bed early. Unfortunately as it turned out our cabin was on deck six and on deck seven there was an entertainment venue  and the amplified music especially the base was able to be heard. A complaint at the info desk did receive a visit from a staff member that agreed the noise was detectable. An offer of earplugs was accepted for an interim measure that i would follow up the next day.

First port of call was Geraldton which is the port for the Mid West of W.A where exports of grain and mineral sands are shipped around the world, our ship anchored out and shore was reached by tender. I have visited this town previously  and driven by many times on fishing trips up North. We had a pleasant time ashore purchasing a few rocks and rose cyrstals at the market. We were impressed with the development of the forehore which was formally railway sidings, its a shame the same thing wasn't being planned for Perth where railway sidings at Leighton Beach are to be developed  for expensive private housing rather than being open space next to the beautiful beach that we have there for the enjoyment of everyone rather than a privileged few.    

Back on board we were offered another cabin on deck 5  this was well forward and a quad with bunks above the 2 single beds and felt smaller than the cabin we were in, this was rejected as it was felt to be a down grade.Anyway the second night was not noisy as it was a Karaoke night (no base drum) plus i stayed up later this time. Next day we were at sea still heading north and the weather was appreciably  warmer. the following morning we were stopping at Broome i got up early to watch us arrive  and was able to take a picture of the sun rising over the masthead.

Broome is an old pearling town and still pearls are farmed here. we had visited once before so were familiar with the town and already done the touristy things so decided to head off into town

During our walk in this tropical very cosmopolitan town where Broome time is a very real phenomenon and whilst crossing the road where pedestrian crossings have signs that read Pedestrians must give way to to  traffic, my name was called out and it was my former manager who moved to Broome 10 years previously. We had a good long chat  under the shade of a tree in the middle of the road reserve catching up on all manner of things, I informed her of my impending retirement to which she replied that she had as good as already retired working in the Kimberley region.

The ship was alongside a warf in Broome which is used to export thousands of cattle north to Indonesia one of Australias biggest customers for the live cattle trade from the huge cattle stations in this part of the country.

From Broome we headed further north leaving Australia in our wake destined for the island of Lombok two nights and a full sea days sailing. There had been some talk of a cyclone in the area but nothing official just from phone conversations  of fellow passengers back home whilst in port. Although the seas were a little more lumpy there was nothing to hinder the progress, an announcement at midday did inform us that the depth of the ocean was 6,000 metres!

Lombok also required tenders to take people ashore and we were able to use the priority disembarkation cards given to us to help with our cabin inconvenience. Lombok is another world, immediately you are set upon  by all manner of people trying to sell you stuff. we decided to get out of the port gates and look for a blue cab that the brochures say you should use, again you are set upon by hoards of sellers or small children asking for money, We went back into the port gates and negotiated to have a car and driver, we wanted to get out into the country side and see the real Lombok.

Our driver took us out into the rural areas where rice is grown and people were going about their daily tasks, we declined the stuff that fellow passengers would be doing on their organised tours , weaving, traditional village and temples.

Lombok is predominantly muslim and most of the men were heading for the mosques. The driving was quite different to what we were used to but we never saw any road rage with small motorbikes being the main choice of transport.

Back to the ship and an overnight sail to Benoa the port for Bali. Bali is a firm favourite  for Australians where cheap holidays are just a four hour flight away. We had never been or had the inclination to go but know many that go year after year. Again the tenders were used to get ashore although this time there was a large catamaran also used to help get passengers ashore. again we hired a car and driver and got out into the countryside  for almost 4 hours the traffic here was chaotic but seemed to flow well. We got back to the ship in time to watch some really black clouds dump heavy rain on the island.

Another overnight sail bought us to what we were most interested in and that was the island of Komodo we were up on deck as we sailed in  and were escorted by a large pod of small dolphins. We were tendered ashore on an organised tour,  conditional for landing on the island which is a national park. Cold drinks were made available from ice chest presumably from the community  because P & O charged for everything.

Were taken for a bit of a hike through the jungle along pathways  of coral to prevent slipping in the mud, the guides were very good with a guard to the front and rear with forked sticks  to ward off any dragons should they decide to get to close, the trek was uneventful with only wild boar and deer being spotted, its a shame that our party didnt understand  QUIET with some jabbering away about nothing the whole way along. We were told that there may be some dragons at a place called the watering hole  and as we got to that spot there were 3 of the beasts  laying around. We were able to take pictures  and it seemed we were the spectacle for the dragons as much as we were wanting to see them. They looked quite lazy but just as we were about to move off a fourth dragon came out of the bush and surveyed the area but decided to keep on going along the same path we were to use       

So we saw the dragons and were quite impressed, we bought a carved dragon from the villagers that was quite a nice piece of wood carving for A$25.00 this is the main source of income for the village. the last picture is the beach area where we come ashore, the villagers come from around the next bay to set up for the tourists. 

We watched the sun set in this idyllic setting with young boys in their dugout canoes diving for coins being thrown from passengers

before we set a course for home the seas were a bit more bouncy on the way back but not to bad, My wife needed to sit up on the open deck  for some of the time to feel better, i on the other hand had followed a fellow passengers tip and placed a band aid over my belly button and it seemed to work from feeling queezy to no further problems. it got better the closer we got to home and after rounding the Northwest cape.

Not much to report on the bread on board other than i was told there were 6 bakers, didnt get an invite to visit the bakery unlike on the Queen Elizabeth.Some of the display items looked like thay had done a cruise or two previously. It was a good break and enjoyed by us both. i will now turn my attention to part 2  of Swansong

kind regards to all Derek